Chapter 681: All in Dreams

"How could that be..." Yu Nian'an still wore that sweetly charming smile that sent a chill down Xiao Cheng's spine. "How did you manage to enter my dream?"

Xiao Cheng's eyes widened as if all the preceding events were surfacing in his mind, revealing the truth.

Why did Qi Xia's expression seem so vacant?

Why had Qi Xia lost all capacity for thought?

Why couldn't he even manage the simplest form of recognition?

Because within this dream, he wasn't in control; he was merely one of the governed.

He wasn't much different from the motionless figures standing on the street. The only difference was that Qi Xia still retained his facial features.

But how had this bizarre situation come to be?

"Sis Yu..." Xiao Cheng took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "I can pretend I don't know anything... I won't try to mend that crack anymore. Just let me go."

Xiao Cheng realized the girl before him was far more terrifying than he had imagined, and he was completely out of his depth.

She had noticed him long ago but had deliberately acted as if she hadn't. All his actions must have seemed laughably childish in her eyes.

Only when he attempted to interfere with the dream did she step in to stop him. She possessed absolute control over this dream; if she wished to kill him, it would be as simple as lifting a finger.

If he perished here, his physical body in the outside world would meet the same fate. At this moment, his only option was to plead with her to release him.

"Xiao Cheng, wait a moment."

Yu Nian'an finished washing the pot and hung it up to drip-dry, though it was clearly dripping with sticky, thread-like black blood.

She wiped her hands on her apron, then turned and said, "Xiao Cheng... I don't want to kill you, but you can't leave."

"Can't... leave?"

"That's right." Yu Nian'an nodded. "You probably don't realize how terrifying the situation you've found yourself in is. It's not just a simple matter of entering or exiting a dream. From the moment you stepped in, your fate was sealed—you can't get out."

"So what does that mean...? Sis Yu... I..."

"That's why I've been thinking about how to free you." Yu Nian'an said matter-of-factly. "By the way, if I kill you, will Xia wake up?"

Xiao Cheng slowly stepped back, realizing the outcome was exactly as he had feared.

But who exactly was Qi Xia...?

If this girl named Yu Nian'an wasn't the master of the dream, why did she wield such significant control over it?

"Because I am the 'Shou Hu Zhe' of this space," Yu Nian'an replied.

That single sentence caused Xiao Cheng to break out in a cold sweat.

"Xiao Cheng, in this space, I can hear your thoughts. I know you're not a bad kid." Yu Nian'an said with a smile and a shake of her head. "But if you don't die soon... 'he' will come. If 'he' sees you, you'll never know peace again."

"'He'...?" Xiao Cheng's lips trembled, his pupils flickering. "Sis Yu, what do you mean by 'never know peace'? Who will I end up provoking?"

"Do you think this is merely some distorted dream...?" Yu Nian'an wiped the bloodstains from her hands completely on her apron. "Xiao Cheng, this is another battlefield besides the 'Zhong Yan Zhi Di'. Not just you—even I cannot get out."

Xiao Cheng blinked, partially grasping her meaning, and asked, "A battlefield... between whom?"

"It's between Qi Xia and 'Tian Long'," Yu Nian'an answered without hesitation. "Do you truly believe their fight is something you can interfere with?"

"So that crack was..."

"The work of 'Tian Long'," Yu Nian'an replied. "But don't worry about it. Everything is under Qi Xia's control. You can rest easy and die."

How ironic was that "don't worry"?

If Xiao Cheng had to state his ultimate objective in coming here, it was simply to survive.

He had no desire to risk his life for a stranger like Qi Xia, whom he had only met once, enduring all sorts of torment only to die pointlessly in the other's dream.

"What a pitiful child..." Yu Nian'an's brows furrowed slightly, her expression turning somber. "Whether out there or here, is your life always being threatened?"

"Sis Yu... In front of you, I can hide nothing. Could you tell me who you are?"

Xiao Cheng knew death was inevitable now. If the outcome couldn't be changed, he at least wanted some of his doubts clarified.

Yu Nian'an slowly lifted her head, her face like a gentle breeze in this hellish abyss.

She was serene and peaceful; every time Xiao Cheng saw that face, his fears seemed to ease.

"I am a 'heart'," Yu Nian'an answered.

"What...?"

"I'm responsible for guarding the final line of defense in Qi Xia's heart and acting entirely according to his instructions," Yu Nian'an said. "I am both a 'heart' and the last 'Shou Hu Zhe' of his inner world. As long as I am here, he will not be defeated."

Although Yu Nian'an had patiently provided her answer, Xiao Cheng felt he understood even less now.

"You're a 'heart'... but why do you have a human form?" Xiao Cheng pressed on. "How did you become the master of Qi Xia's dream...?"

"Because he entrusted everything to me," Yu Nian'an replied.

As soon as she finished speaking, she waved her hand in the air, and a rope appeared out of nowhere in her grasp.

Xiao Cheng's eyes widened at the sight of the rope. "Sis Yu... are you...?"

"'Ru Meng'? I'm not sure, since I'm not even human," Yu Nian'an said.

She tossed the rope upward; one end burrowed into the ceiling like a snake, forming a knot to secure it, while the other end curled into a loop for hanging.

"Xiao Cheng, this place is really dangerous," Yu Nian'an said. "You should go first."

Though she spoke of "danger" and "go first," she was clearly pointing at the rope.

Xiao Cheng's whole body went numb. He knew that if he put his head through that loop, he'd wake up in the real world, back in the interview room.

"Sis Yu, I have one more question..." Xiao Cheng said. "If you can answer this for me, then even if I die this time, it'll be worth it."

"Sure, no problem." Yu Nian'an nodded. "Go ahead and ask."

"This world... has it always been like this?" Xiao Cheng took a trembling deep breath. "The things you've been feeding Qi Xia... have they always been like that?"

"Of course not." Yu Nian'an gave a bitter smile and tucked her long hair behind her ear. "Originally, this world was bustling with activity. Our little home might not have been big, but it was cozy. But starting yesterday, everything was destroyed."

"Yester... yesterday?" Xiao Cheng was stunned. "What do you mean by destroyed?"

"'Tian Long' just waved his hand, and the entire city turned to nothing," Yu Nian'an said. "Xiao Cheng, could you do something like that?"

After hearing that, Xiao Cheng was completely shocked.

"Sis Yu, what exactly do you mean?! Is 'Tian Long' also involved in 'Ru Meng'?!"

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